Document 0828
 DOCN  M9460828
 TI    Hepatitis C virus infection among sexually promiscuous groups and the
       heterosexual partners of hepatitis C virus infected index cases.
 DT    9404
 AU    Lissen E; Alter HJ; Abad MA; Torres Y; Perez-Romero M; Leal M; Pineda
       JA; Torronteras R; Sanchez-Quijano A; Viral Hepatitis and AIDS Study
       Group, Virgen del Rocio University; Hospital, Seville, Spain.
 SO    Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 1993 Nov;12(11):827-31. Unique
       Identifier : AIDSLINE MED/94155910
 AB    To define the role of sexual transmission in the spread of hepatitis C
       virus (HCV) infection, a seroprevalence study of antibodies against HCV
       was performed in populations at high risk for sexually transmitted
       diseases. Subjects included 310 female prostitutes, 88 clients of
       prostitutes, 168 homosexual men and 147 stable heterosexual partners of
       index cases reactive for anti-HCV (98 of whom were partners of drug
       addicts coinfected with HCV and human immunodeficiency virus [HIV]). All
       subjects denied prior transfusion or intravenous drug use. Controls were
       400 voluntary blood donors selected randomly from first-time donors. The
       prevalence of anti-HCV by enzyme immunoassay, confirmed by a
       second-generation recombinant immunoblot assay, was 6.4% in prostitutes,
       6.8% in clients of prostitutes, 4.2% in homosexual men, 7.4% in
       heterosexual partners of index cases and 1.2% in random donors. However,
       the anti-HCV prevalence in stable heterosexual partners of
       HCV-positive/HIV-positive index cases was 2.2 times higher than in
       stable heterosexual partners of index cases reactive for anti-HCV only
       (9.2% vs. 4.1%), and sexual partners of index cases coinfected with HCV
       and HIV were almost three times more likely to be infected with HIV than
       with HCV (25.5% vs. 9.2%). These data suggest that HCV infection may be
       sexually transmitted but with low efficiency and that this efficiency
       could be increased in the presence of coexistent HIV infection in the
       index case.
 DE    Adolescence  Adult  Blood Donors  Female  Hepatitis Antibodies/BLOOD
       Hepatitis C/COMPLICATIONS/EPIDEMIOLOGY/IMMUNOLOGY/*TRANSMISSION
       Hepatitis C Viruses/IMMUNOLOGY  Human  HIV Infections/COMPLICATIONS
       Immunoenzyme Techniques  Male  Middle Age  Risk Factors  *Sex Behavior
       *Sexual Partners  Support, Non-U.S. Gov't  JOURNAL ARTICLE

       SOURCE: National Library of Medicine.  NOTICE: This material may be
       protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).